The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

10. Witch Coven (2)

Whoosh.

The flame blooming on his hand incinerates the surrounding air. A hot wave radiates in all directions, and the books that were flying around Acel hastily flee to a safe distance. Only the fire grimoire clutched in his hand remained unscathed.

Ena squinted at the sight.

*‘He only acquired his core yesterday. And he’s using magic without even undergoing stabilization.’*

The thought was absurd. How could something like that even be possible?

A mage fundamentally has to go through a core stabilization process. Acel’s core had only just formed, yet its stability was on par with a seasoned mage. No, in some ways, it even surpassed them. His magic conductivity, absorption rate, purity, and flow easily dwarfed that of most mages.

But that didn’t mean he could skip the stabilization process. Even if things seemed fine on the surface, if you delved into the innermost reaches, known only to the sorcerer himself, there would inevitably be incomplete aspects. Using magic in that state could cause not only the core but the sorcerer himself to explode like a bomb. Literally.

And yet…

“Master?”

Ena watched her disciple, who was further increasing the size of the flame, and let out a hollow laugh.

Fire magic rooted in the Ignis Magic Tower. The magic Acel was using was a modification of that fire magic, a specialized branch, in some ways a different kind of magic altogether. Difficult to use, and with the potential to consume the user himself as fuel, he was conjuring it so naturally.

A mage who’d only just established his core, without any stabilization process.

*‘…I’m getting tired of being surprised.’*

Ena sighed deeply as she thought this.

She already knew that Acel’s talent was exceptional. Even if another talent suddenly emerged here, it wouldn’t evoke the same excitement as before. It was surprising, but that was all. She was merely pleased as a teacher that her disciple was so outstanding.

“Acel. Do you feel any resistance to the manifestation of magic?”

Dispelling her wandering thoughts, Aena asked the question first.

For a mage, elemental affinity was of paramount importance.

The number of magical disciplines a mage could wield depended on their affinity for a particular element. Mages of higher caliber could use spells from different disciplines regardless of affinity, but even then, it would be only rudimentary magic, and they would feel resistance with each manifestation.

Specialty magic worked on a slightly different principle, but in any case, the magic Asel had unleashed was rooted in flame magic. Without a predisposition for the fire element, even the basic execution would be impossible. Perhaps Asel, with his exceptional mana control, could manifest magic even if it didn’t align with his aptitude. Aena had considered this when she inquired.

But Asel shook his head as if feeling no resistance whatsoever.

“It feels fine.”

“Good, that’s a relief.”

Aena nodded, saying,

“It seems fire magic is where your aptitude lies. There’s no need for an aptitude test, then.”

“Ah… is that so?”

Asel openly displayed his disappointment, extinguishing the flame he held.

The residual heat that emanated from the extinguished embers vanished as he clenched his fist. He brushed the lingering ash from his fingertips and looked at Aena with a wry smile.

“I was hoping it would be lightning magic, if possible.”

“I hoped so too. If it were electro-magic, I could have taught you myself. But with fire… it’s probably best you learn magic from someone else. I can show you the fundamental magical systems, though.”

“Is there no possibility I might also have an aptitude for lightning?”

Aena pondered Asel’s question for a moment before speaking.

“It’s not impossible. It’s possible if you’re a dual-attribute wielder.”

“How would one know that?”

“By taking an aptitude test or by casting spells like you just did. One of the two.”

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing Aena’s words, Asel immediately began to glare at the books that were coalescing around them again. He was trying to see if there were any tomes related to electro-magic. Seeing this, Aena let out a soft chuckle.

“All the tomes related to electro-magic are in my own library. I am the only electro-mage on the continent, so I am the one who keeps it here.”

“Ah…”

“Eager, are you?”

Aena asked in a gentle voice. Asel nodded with an embarrassed expression.

“A little, yes.”

“Don’t worry. I still plan to have you take the aptitude test today as scheduled. Who knows, maybe you have a talent for other magical disciplines, as you say. We’ll have to see.”

At Aena’s words, Asel’s expression relaxed, seeming relieved.

As they walked and talked, a grand hall soon came into view.

The walls and ceiling were finished with clean wood, and an uncontainable, dense mana emanated from the floor. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, operated by magic, and fragments of spell formulas were perceptible in the air, a lingering effect of the magic used by the mages seated in various places.

It felt like stepping into a den of sorcerers. In truth, it likely wasn’t far off.

Asel’s eyes gleamed, his head swiveling in every direction. He’d witnessed plenty of magic since arriving in Wiheim, but never had he seen so many diverse kinds up close. Interest bloomed within him, a tickling sensation in his mana core.

Ena left him to his wonder, striding towards the far end of the hall. Asel followed at a more leisurely pace.

The Witches’ Coven hall was more crowded than he’d expected. There were young mages summoning spirits to play with, others coaxing flames from their hands to light pipes, mages entranced by crystal spheres, imbuing them with arcane formulas, and still others gathered in clusters, debating magical theory. Each sorcerer possessed a unique flair, casting fleeting glances in their direction before turning away.

Asel, catching the eye of a young girl, gave a respectful bow. Ena, after all, could be mistaken for a girl as well, so he assumed she too must be a mature mage.

“Hmph!”

Instead of returning the greeting, the girl’s cheeks flushed crimson. She turned her head away with a disdainful sniff. Asel narrowed his eyes at the baffling display.

‘She wouldn’t have lasted long in the slums.’

The judgement came swiftly. Asel dismissed her and hurried to Ena’s side.

“Where do I get my affiliation card?”

“Over there, her.”

Ena pointed towards someone.

It was a woman with a smoking pipe clenched in her mouth. Her appearance suggested someone barely out of adolescence, but her aura told a different story. An undeniable maturity and the ease of a high-ranking mage radiated from her.

A powerful presence, without a doubt. Asel felt his mana core thrum at the sight of her, and gave a nod.

“Ena.”

The woman smiled, speaking Ena’s name. Ena waved, approaching her.

“It’s been a while, Irina.”

“Indeed. How long has it been?”

“I don’t know.”

“Honestly, neither do I.”

*Whoosh.*

Irina exhaled a plume of smoke from her pipe, then turned her gaze to Asel. He met her crimson eyes, bowing slightly.

“Hello.”

“Well, hello. I don’t know how many years it’s been since a man entered this place.”

Male mages did exist within the Witches’ Coven. But they were unable to withstand the atmosphere of a location full of women, and it’s been a while since they left. Thanks to that, it has been long time since a man, especially a young boy like him stepped inside.

Perhaps that was why Irina seemed so intrigued by Asel. The fact that he was the subject of Bell’s boisterous gossip only added to her interest. Her gaze was filled with him.

“I’d like to receive my affiliation card.”

But as Ena stepped forward, shielding Asel, Irina’s gaze shifted to Ena’s expressionless face. Irina studied her blue eyes for a moment before chuckling and nodding.

“He’s yours, then?”

“Yes. He’s my disciple.”

“Bell told me the story. Sounds like she replaced her vocal cords with orc ones, the way she’s been bellowing about. Thanks to her, there’s no one in the coven who doesn’t know you’ve taken a student.”

Irina said this while waving her hand in the air, then turned to Asel.

“Little one, what’s your name?”

“I am Asel.”

“Male, I presume… and how old are you?”

“Twelve years since my birth.”

“Young. But a bit late to be learning magic. Still… I suppose our Ena has her reasons for taking you in.”

Irina shaped her mana into a rectangular form. She refined the lines with the tip of her pipe, then recorded Asel’s personal details within it.

“You’ve awakened your mana, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Show me.”

Asel immediately manifested his mana above his palm. Irina reached out, as if to tear off a piece of the mana clump.

“It will sting a little. Endure.”

“Huh?”

It happened before he could even register it. Irina swiftly extended her hand and tried to rip a portion of Asel’s mana away.

No, to be precise, she *tried* to rip it away. Despite Irina’s gesture, Asel’s mana remained completely unmoved.

“?”

A question mark bloomed across her face. She glanced at Ena, who stood quietly beside Asel, with a look that seemed to ask, ‘What is this?’ Ena chuckled softly and whispered in Asel’s ear.

“Just give Irina a little bit of your mana.”

“Ah, yes.”

Asel nodded, and separated a minuscule amount from his manifested mana, offering it to Irina.

An extreme display of control. The separation and distribution of mana was something absolutely impossible for a mage who had just entered the path. Irina’s face went blank for a moment, but she quickly cleared her throat and regained her composure.

“Ahem. Thank you.”

“Yes.”

Irina accepted the mana Asel offered and pushed it into the bowl of her pipe. She inhaled and exhaled smoke, Asel’s mana sliding into the rectangle within the smoke. The remaining smoke adjusted the form of the rectangle, filling its interior with an ashen grey.

“Done.”

As the grey filled in, the rectangle floating in the air trembled briefly, then fell to the ground with a thud. Irina picked it up and tossed it to Asel. It was a card, about the size of his palm. Asel deftly caught the card and examined its contents.

There was nothing particularly special written on it. Below the boldly inscribed words ‘Coven Membership Card’ were his name, age, gender, and a small description of his mana circuit in tiny script. Asel stowed the card within his robes, then bowed towards Irina.

“Thank you.”

“Such a polite young fellow. I like him.”

Irina spoke thusly, then rose from her seat and tossed her smoking pipe into the air with a flick of the wrist. At that precise moment, the pipe dissolved into smoke and vanished. She ruffled Asel’s dark hair with a rough hand.

“The issuance of your affiliation papers is done. Now, we must add your name to the Coven Register. Ena, is now alright?”

“Yes. Let’s finish quickly so we can go to the aptitude test.”

“Ah, right. We must do that as well.”

After their brief exchange.

Irina led Asel to a corner of the hall.

In the corner sat a pristine white piece of paper and a cube of regular hexahedron shape with a hole just large enough for a finger to fit through.

“Simply place your finger inside and think of your name. That’s all there is to it. Do you have any questions?”

“No.”

“Good.”

Irina nodded, then gestured towards the cube with her chin. Asel placed their finger into the cube without hesitation.

A *crick* sound echoed, and a stinging pain was felt at the tip of their finger. Their face contorted with the unexpected pain, but they didn’t withdraw their finger. It was just the surprise, really; the pain itself wasn’t much. Not enough to make a fuss over.

With the throbbing pain, blood flowed, dyeing the cube’s transparent tube crimson. The blood moved as if flowing through a pipe, but suddenly stopped, then began to spurt out through a small hole at the top of the cube.

The paltry amount of blood had all exited the cube. It drew a circle in the air, then was sucked into the paper beside the cube, as if absorbed.

In an instant, the paper was stained with blood. But it wasn’t scattered haphazardly. Asel recognized that the blood on the paper had formed their name, and they couldn’t help but voice a gasp.

“Blood magic, then?”

“Indeed. One of the elders is a vampire. He created it.”

The paper, with the name written on it, flew off towards somewhere as soon as the blood solidified. Asel followed Irina’s instruction to remove their finger from the cube. Miraculously, there was no wound.

A method to extract blood without causing injury, so it seemed. Asel surmised that this, too, was likely a type of blood magic.

“Good. Ena, all done.”

Irina said, turning her head towards Ena. Ena, surrounded by other mages including Belle, instantly transformed into a bolt of pure white lightning and arrived before Asel. She gently stroked Asel’s hair and nodded.

“Did it hurt?”

“It was tolerable.”

“That’s good.”

Ena offered a soft smile. Irina, watching the scene, grimaced slightly, as if feeling disgusted.

“You… are you really Ena? You usually respond with just a curt word with an emotionless face. But you are smiling to your disciple.”

“Do not slander me.”

“I can’t take this.”

Irina shook her head with a wry smile. Then, she looked at the assembled mages and continued.

“Everyone is probably very interested in you. Even though the elders have been asking her to foster a successor, but now she suddenly takes a disciple.”

“It’s not my fault there’s no one who measures up.”

“Yes, well, perhaps. That’s why there will be so much interest in your disciple. Wondering what kind of person meets your exacting standards. They might even try to wrest Asel away from you.”

“Let them, if they have a death wish.”

Ena spat the words out in a voice gone frigid. Irina responded with what sounded like exasperation.

“…You do know that killing among members of the Witch Society is impossible, right? Unless you’re fraternizing with demons.”

“I don’t care.”

“Please, don’t. It’s because I believe you’re capable of it that I say so.”

Ena clicked her tongue, then placed her hands, with a snap, on Asel’s shoulders.

“Anyway. We’re done here, so we’ll be going.”

“Just do the aptitude test here. Leticia’s here right now anyway.”

“If that’s what we must.”

“You’re so boring to talk to. Flirt a little. How long are you going to live as a virgin?”

“I’ll handle it.”

Ena said, then whirled Asel around, leading him away.

Irina shook her head, calling out after them.

“Leticia is on the other side!”

“……”

Ena turned back around.